“My clients are often from different cultural backgrounds,” says the Pelham Manor-based caterer Nisa Lee, “and what I do is join those cultures together through the culinary senses. They usually want some old-fashioned comfort foods to please their families, and I make them a little more sophisticated and add my own signature. It gives me wonderful challenges.”

SoWe Food & Wine Festival September 2014

Click on the SoWe image above to view a chat with the celebrity chefs of the SoWe Festival!

BEST OF 2011 — People Magazine WEDDING of the YEAR!!!!

On June 28th, Nisa catered the wedding of one of the stars of “Ugly Betty”. The wedding and reception were held at co-star Vanessa Williams’ home in Westchester with many stars in attendance including co-star Judith Light, actresses Blake Lively and Rebecca Romjin to name a few. Nisa provided all of the culinary delights, as well as the design and creation of décor for the big day. Nisa tailored the cuisine to match the couple’s request for “local and fresh summertime country wedding fare spiced with exotic touches” said Nisa.

The menu included a Chorizo Sausage softened with garden basil with lavender honey drizzle which was served with a salad of local garden greens, jicama with Champagne, mango and lime dressing, followed by a traditional favorite, corn on the cob given a spicy twist with cilantro lime butter washed down with some Shiner Bock, the groom’s favorite Texas beer. As a further tribute to the couples Latin and Texas “South of the Border” backgrounds, handmade Mexican fruit popsicles were served to help cool guests down from the heat. “I think it was a really beautiful, passionate wedding in a comfortable relaxed setting” said Nisa.

Nisa is featured on the cover of the Life&Style section of The Journal News December 8, 2011, showing readers how to plan a simple holiday dinner using a buffet of small bites of hearty dishes that play on traditional holiday fare but are more festive, modern and even more affordable than sit-down affairs.

Click on the photo to see the on-line article

Women On Their Way

Check out this article from Women On Their Way and their search for the best 7 spirited cocktails from around the country. Nisa’s Pomegranate Ginger Champagne Cocktail made the list! Women On Their Way is a site devoted to women who travel. Click on the link below to see the article

Nisa is featured in the December/January 2012 issue of Natural Health Magazine in an article “Feed Your Passion” which depicts the hard work and stress of the over-glamorized culinary world and offers advice from four top chefs from around the country and how they refuel mind and body with exercise and their favorite recipes after a long day at work. Nisa’s outlet is vinyasa yoga. “The flow of this style of yoga helps me let go of stress” says Lee. “I find it easy to be at peace when I’m practicing yoga. It helps me find stillness in motion-an amazing feeling. At home, Nisa’s go to dish is a simple organic kale salad with olive oil, lemon juice, pine nutes and black currants and chicken sate for protein with her famous peanut poi sauce.

Journal News

Masters of Their Own Reinvention

Four Women Take Steps to Remake Their Lives;

An Event Today Can Help You Do It Too

On the cover of the October 18, 2010 Life & Style section Nisa shares her story of transformation from banker, special events planner, then mother of four to the chef and caterer she is today. The article was written in conjunction with More Magazine’s Reinvention Convention held at Pier 60 in Manhattan. To view the article online click the link below. Nisa is on page 3,4:

Nisa is the featured caterer in “Westchester Weddings” the annual publication just released billed as the area’s ultimate wedding guide from Westchester Magazine now available on news stands through September 2011.

Westchester Magazine’s Marisa LaScala interviewed Nisa on a variety of topics offering guidance to couples on what they need to know and what to expect when planning their big day. Nisa also discusses the most recent trends in weddings. “Your menu should reflect your style as much as your attire does. It’s all about fitting the menu to the couple’s personality” Nisa says.

Nisa is featured in the September 2010 issue of BRIDES offering advice on how to turn your favorite basic fare into wedding worthy hors d’oeuvres. If you love pizza you can upgrade to handcrafted Mozerella, organic tomato and fresh basil on a Semolina flatbread. If you love Pigs in a Blanket, but don’t want anyone to know, you can serve smoked sausage rounds in a pastry puff with apple coleslaw.

Westchester Magazine – “Dinner Is Served”

Top County Caterers

Dilemma: you want a tasty, home-cooked, healthy meal for the holidays but don’t have time to cook it. Solution: hire a caterer. Westchester’s bounty of local experts offer the perfect antidote to the stress that occurs when your gathering gets too big, or your schedule gets too busy. Even better—our epicurean county offers some of the best and most diverse holiday caterers around, everything from kosher, seasonal cuisine, to pan-Asian, French-Californian, and provisions from the good ol’ Hudson Valley.

Nisa Lee (914-552-5258). Looking for out-of-the-ordinary, personalized service with high-quality eats? Look no further than Pelham Manor-based Nisa Lee, a self-taught chef who’s run her six-year-old catering business solely by word of mouth. Though she travels in celebrity circles (she’s catered events for Vanessa Williams and Halle Berry), she is down-to-earth, sweet, and friendly. And, as a mom of four, she knows exactly how hectic life can be—especially around the holidays.

Her eclectic cuisine captures bold flavors from exotic locales like Thailand (where she was born), the South Pacific, Fiji, the Caribbean, and Spain, with décor to fit the mood. Lee is all about being a one-stop-shop, meaning she’ll do everything from intimate meals for 10 to corporate events for up to 1,000, and provides the rentals, flowers, entertainment, decorations, and more. She prides herself on the fact that, of the 600-plus events she’s done over the years, no two have been exactly the same. Expect to pay about $65 per plate.

Pregnancy Magazine featured a baby shower for actress Ana Ortiz one of the stars on ABC’s hit show Ugly Betty. The event was featured in their annual Food Issue with a 6 page glossy feature and is on newstands now. Ms. Ortiz and some of Nisa’s cuisine made the cover of the coveted issue (above). The event was held at the uber-cool loft of uber-cool fashion guru Robert Verdi in SoHo. Mr Verdi’s camera crew was also on hand to shoot footage of the event for his TV show“Full Frontal Fashion” which is scheduled to air in January.

Editor Abigail Culler wrote “Co-hostess Vanessa Williams (co-hosted with America Ferrera) called upon her favorite chef, Nisa Lee, to make the shower a culinary tribute to Ana’s Irish and Puerto Rican heritage. Using Ana’s favorite foods, the menu incorporated ingredients rich in folic acid, protein, iron, and calcium, all essential for healthy pregnancy.” “I wanted to create a very special menu for Ana. One that she would love but that was also healthy and nutritious for the baby” said Nisa. People Magazinewas also on hand to cover the big event and featured Ms. Ortiz’s big day in their May issue.